Reviewing Typography
In the last chapter, we went over typography with technical terms like serif vs. sans serif, x-height, kerning, etc. Then we started moving into user-centered design and how these different features of type can be used to evoke feelings and visually convey your message. This emotional response to typography choices is parodied in this Saturday Night Live skit:
✓ Connection to previous topics: If someone becomes upset or annoyed after reading a sign that says something routine like "Please keep this door closed" because of the font that's used rather than the message, is this an example of reacting to the denotation or the connotation?
Design Basics
In a user-centered design approach, we need to consider how users are actually encountering the materials we create. It’s an acknowledgment that “details” like size and style of text, color, and arrangement of elements are all important in whether people receive the message we want them to receive.
Key ideas:
- The arrangement of visual elements helps us interpret the meaning
- All visual elements should be used purposefully to support the overall communication goals
- Key design principles are hierarchy, grid and consistency
Related slides for reference
Hierarchy: A viewer should know what is most important and be guided by visual cues. This is what we often think of as “flow.” There are many design options for establishing hierarchy, based on what catches viewers' attention: size, color, placement, weight, contrast, content/images, white space.
Grid: Splitting the whole composition into an invisible grid with columns and rows keeps elements organized and proportional. This makes the content easy to take in and understand; it keeps viewers oriented within the whole design. The grid can be broken or adapted for a specific purpose, like establishing hierarchy.
Consistency: Elements should have clear similarities or clear contrast, and these can be used as visual cues for meaning. This is efficient for both the viewer and the designer, because the designer can save time by reusing visual elements and the viewer can more quickly recognize and find information.
✓ Review: What visual cues are used to establish hierarchy in the designs of these farmers' market posters? (Consider color, placement of elements, space, font size and style, etc.)
🗨 Of these three similar posters, which poster design do you like the most overall and why? What details or design decisions do you think are most effective for communicating to the target audience? What is one thing you would try differently if you were the designer?
Design Example
Browse the most recent issue of Washington State Magazine. (Use the "Magcloud webviewer" version or download the PDF.) The following questions relate to the entire magazine, not just the sample page below. You should look at the most recent issue, though you are also welcome to look at previous issues.
Sample page from a previous issue of the magazine. Please see the link above to view the most recent issue.
✓ In the latest version of Washington State Magazine, what are three examples of design consistency that are used throughout the magazine? (This can include colors, fonts, symbols, etc.)
✓ In Washington State Magazine, what is an example of a page that breaks the grid, and what purpose does it serve? (There are crimson page numbers at the bottom of each page to indicate which page you are looking at.)
✓ In Washington State Magazine, what is an example of a page that uses white space, and what does it draw our attention to?
🗨 What is an example of a page layout that you consider effective at making the viewer (you) interested in reading information that might not necessarily catch your attention without the design elements?